Midway reveals This is Vegas with titillating assets

Midway has announced This is Vegas, its answer to Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV and THQ’s Saints Row. The game is in development at Midway’s acclaimed Surreal studio (The Suffering) and is expected to ship for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in winter 2008.

“We are thrilled to be unveiling the first-ever videogame experience which allows players to live out their wildest Vegas fantasies,” said Alan Patmore, studio head, Surreal. “Whether it’s partying in the hottest night clubs, racing in underground circuits, testing your luck at the tables or getting into a barroom brawl, This is Vegas has it all.”

Set in Las Vegas, the game’s story sees a powerful businessman turning Vegas into a family-friendly tourist trap. It’s down to the player to start up their own powerful empire and return Vegas to its days as a famous adult playground.

This involves partying at the hottest clubs to make VIP connections, growing your bankroll by hitting the casinos, fighting off enemies with your fists and a range of firearms and racing the fastest cars on the underground circuit to raise your reputation. What you do is up to the player, but your ultimate goal is putting the “sin back in sin city”.

There are no screens available right now, but Midway has released a selection of revealing artworks, with one in particular perhaps revealing a little too much.

Expect to see a lot more on This is Vegas in the coming months.